Anthrax Q&A

We asked readers if they had any questions about the anthrax vaccine or the vaccination program. Here are some of the questions and the answers:

Q: The FDA has reported that there have been 21 possible deaths from the vaccine. How can the FDA possibly consider licensing this vaccine with that high of a death rate, and how can the Department of Defense possibly insist it is a safe vaccine, and how can the lawmakers actually stockpile this vaccine and try to push this vaccine on the American populace?

A: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains that there is no proof of a causal connection between the deaths and the vaccine, despite the findings in several of those cases by civilian experts in forensic pathology (the science of determining the cause of death or illness). The Department of Defense maintains that the vaccine is safe and effective. As for Congress, you might want to contact your representative.

Q: My son will be deployed to Iraq in three months. Should he take the Anthrax vaccine?

Q: I was in the military for about nine years and have had about nine anthrax shots. I would like to know about some of the health consequences that may happen as a result of this. A: Even those who believe the vaccine is safe say this is the biggest unanswered question: What is the long-term (five or more years) effect of the vaccine? The Pentagon and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are designing studies on this topic, but are at least a year or more away from having even preliminary answers.

Many experts in vaccines say that if you've noticed no ill effect so far, it's unlikely that you will in the future. Others say that's not certain. Federal licensing officials haven't required a long-term safety study for any vaccine, not just for anthrax.

Q: What will happen to those of us who were court martialed for refusing the vaccine before it was made voluntary?

A: John J. Michels, a former Air Force officer and lawyer who has been involved in litigation about the vaccine for several years, recommends filing with the Board of Correction of Military Records. Each branch of the service has its own board, but the form is standard - a DD-149. You can download a copy at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0149.pdf

On Thursday, the Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces is scheduled to hear the first appeals for people court-martialed for refusing the vaccine. If it rules in favor of those appealing, Michels says the path to exonerating others should be relatively simple. A favorable ruling by civilian courts that are considering the legal status of the vaccine's licensing could also help, he says. But you'd still have to petition the board to get your record changed, and you shouldn't wait to file the paperwork.

If you'd like help with this form, you can e-mail attorney Mark Zaid at zaidms@aol.com. There is a fee, but Michels says it's relatively low.

Q: I am a 21-year Navy veteran that had to struggle immensely to make it to 20 after receiving the shots. After the second round, it was fibromyalgia, chronic pain syndrome, sleep apnea, mild depression and an odd thing called uveitis in my left eye .... the immune system is activated by an unknown cause and attacks the eye.

A: Several lawsuits have been initiated, but they keep running into an obstacle called the Feres Doctrine, which protects the government and its contractors from lawsuits involving military service unless you can prove someone knew about a problem and didn't do anything to stop it - a tall order.

Your energy might be better spent working on Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Many veterans have found the VA easier to convince than the military when it comes to vaccine-related illnesses.